Post-War Canada: 1945 - Today

Post-War Canada: 1945 - Today

• Canada became urbanized, industrialized, and multicultural

The Veterans Returned

• A million soldiers returned home in the year after the war
• Most veterans desired a stable life: a good job, a new house, a car, a wife, and a family
• Veterans wanted a quiet, comfortable, and peaceful life, focused on stability and security
• Suburbs became the most desirable lifestyle

Veterans' Charter (1944)

• The government felt obligated to support returning veterans and civilians
• Veterans received a civilian clothing allowance
• Low-cost life insurance was provided
• Veterans had the right to reclaim their pre-war jobs
• Women were often expected to resign and return to being housewives
• Free university tuition was provided to help veterans from the lower class advance to the middle class
• Low-cost life insurance ensured coverage of household expenses if the person working in the household was hurt
• Low-interest business loans and home mortgages were available to help people start their own businesses
• The program facilitated movement from the lower to the middle class through business ownership and education

War Brides and Refugees

• Tens of thousands of war brides came to Canada
• 165,000 refugees arrived from across Europe
• Canada's wealth, job opportunities, and space resulted in people building their lives there
• Canadian cities became more diverse due to these immigrants, opening businesses rather than going to farms

The Baby Boom Era (1946-1964)

• This period saw Canada's largest population increase
• People secured jobs and houses in the suburbs and started families
• Big families and suburban homes were common
• 6.7 million babies were born in a nation of only 11 million

A Growing Dissatisfaction

• Women were expected to be content as housewives and mothers, even with fewer career opportunities than men
• There was a rising demand for schools and colleges

Post-War Prosperity (1945-1973)

• Canada experienced a sustained period of economic growth alongside a population boom
• This growth was fueled by massive consumer spending, American investment in Canada, U.S. demand for Canadian resources, and well-paying industrial jobs

Major New Industries

• Plastics: development began during World War II
• Chemicals & Pesticides: became significant industries
• Open Pit Mining: supported by steel production in Canada
• Oil & Gas: highly desired due to the reliance on plastic
• Hydro Electricity: inexpensive and environmentally friendly, making Canada a major electricity exporter

Mega Projects

• Government investment in major projects bolstered economic growth and created jobs
• These included:
  • Building the nation’s infrastructure
  • Roads and highways
  • Water and sewer lines
  • Public schools
  • Power plants and rural electrification
  • Hospitals
  • 1958: Trans Canada Pipeline (transporting oil and gas from Alberta to Ontario & Quebec)
  • 1959: St. Lawrence Seaway (connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean)
  • 1962: Trans Canada Highway (providing coast-to-coast travel)

Returning Soldiers' Desires

• Returning soldiers wanted a quiet and peaceful life along with a good job, house, car, wife and family

Post-WWII Veterans' Financial Advantages

• Veterans didn't have to buy on credit because the government provided low-interest business loans, home mortgages, free tuition, and life insurance

Canada's Multicultural Shift

• Canada became more multicultural due to the arrival of war brides and 165,000 refugees from Europe who settled in cities, started businesses, and integrated into communities

Government Support for Veterans

• The government improved veterans’ lives with free university tuition, low-cost life insurance, low-interest business loans, home mortgages, and job reinstatement rights

The Baby Boom

• The Baby Boom occurred from 1946-1964
• People had children, moved to suburbs, and started families

Duration of Post-War Economic Boom

• The post-war economic boom lasted from 1945 to 1973

New Industries After the War

• New industries after the war included plastics, chemicals, pesticides, open-pit mining, oil and gas, and hydroelectricity

Mega Projects

• Mega projects that built Canada’s economy included roads, highways, water and sewer lines, public schools, power plants, hospitals, rural electrification, the Trans Canada Pipeline, the St Lawrence Seaway, and the Trans Canada Highway

Environmentally Harmful Industries

• Some industries harmed the environment; these include chemicals, pesticides, oil and gas, and open-pit mining, causing pollution and damage

Free University Education

• Free university tuition helps people get jobs and move into the middle class

A Love Affair with Cars

• 3.5 million cars were bought in the Fifties
• Car industry = a large employer
• The Car Represented:
  • Freedom
  • Modernity
  • Prosperity
  • Masculinity
• Most cars were owned and driven by men
• Men asserted that women were bad drivers

The Suburb

• Cars made the suburbs possible
• The suburbs became hugely popular and affordable
• Large families were very common (4 - 8 kids)
• Communities consisted of a breadwinner dad, a stay-at-home mom, and mostly families
• There was substantial peer pressure to buy the latest products

Canadian Mortgage & Housing Corporation

• The Canadian Mortgage & Housing Corporation, run by C.D. Howe, provided low-cost government loans, enabling many Canadians to afford homes

Suburban Shopping Malls

• Neighborhoods had one-stop shopping
• Casual & kid friendly
• Free parking
• Safe, clean & new
• Warm, dry, friendly
• Many products
• Marketing from TV

Consumerism and the Age of Television

• Most Canadians had TVs by the late Fifties
• Black & white / two channels
• Main pastime
• Demand fueled by commercials
• 90% American
• Spread US culture to Canada

Emotional Value of Car Purchases

• Car purchases represented freedom, success, and modern life

Residential Preferences in the Fifties

• Most Canadians wanted to live in the suburbs for their quiet, affordable, and family-friendly atmosphere

C.D. Howe's Contribution

• C.D. Howe gave out low-cost government loans so people could afford homes for the first time thus helped build Canada's middle class

Government's Infrastructure Response

• The government built more schools, colleges, and hospitals due to all the children

Television's Impact on Consumerism

• TV made people want to buy more things because of all the commercials

TV's Impact on Canadian Culture

• TV brought American culture, making some Canadians worry that they were losing its own identity

Women's Expectations in the Fifties

• Women were expected to quit their jobs and stay home as housewives and mothers, while men worked

Examples of Post-War Sexism

• Women had to leave their jobs when men came back from the war
• There was a prevailing thought that men were better drivers

Popularity of Malls

• Malls were popular because they were one-stop destinations, convenient, kid-friendly, with free parking, safe, clean, warm, and sold products like those seen on TV

Environmental Unsustainability of Suburban Life

• Suburbs caused pollution due to cars
• Suburbs also resulted in destruction of forests plus farmland
• Large houses used more energy for heating and cooling

The Teenager

• A "New" stage of life made possible by postwar prosperity
• "Childhood" was extended to 18
• Families could afford to keep kids in school & at home
• "Mini adults" had their own tastes in clothes, music, food, etc.
• Casual, fun-loving,
• A "generation gap" arose with conservative parents
• Became major consumer group

Life in "Uptight" Canada

• Social & political attitudes were conservative, traditional, religious, intolerant, colonialist, conformist
• Illegal activities: Sunday shopping, abortions, adultery, alcohol in restaurants, divorce, truancy, homosexuality, vagrancy
• Socially acceptable discrimination: racial, religious, and sexist discrimination in both housing & employment

Fears of American Cultural Imperialism

• Loved American music, movies, magazines, TV, news, and lifestyle
• Resulted in Canadian culture disappearing
• Government worried mean there was no need for an independent country?

1949 Massey Commission

• Ottawa launched a federal investigation into the threat to Canada's culture

The Canada Council (Created in 1957)

• It used tax money to support Canadian artists, musicians, writers, actors, performers, etc.

CRTC and CanCon

• CRTC created in 1968
• Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission
• Cancon-Canadian Content
• 30% requirement for broadcasters

Improvements for Workers

• Unions secured better wages, medical benefits, sick leave, pensions, a 40-hour work week, and overtime pay
• Mostly benefited for skilled, white, male, industrial workers

Who Did Not Benefit

• The following did not benefit:
  • Women
  • Visible minorities
  • Indigenous people
  • Non-union employees
  • Unskilled laborers
  • Quebeckers

Newfoundland Joins Canada in 1949

• The British Crown Colony had not recovered from the Depression
• The British economy remained weak
• Newfoundland voted to join Canada
• Joey Smallwood, leader of the “Join Canada” movement, became Newfoundland’s first Premier

The Kingdom of Canada

• Canada still regarded itself as a "British" nation with "British" culture during Queen Elizabeth's 1953 Coronation
• Most Canadians still ethnically British

The "Teenager" Invention

• They were economically able to extend childhood and they could afford to send their children to school rather than make them work

Marketing to Teenagers

• There was an emergent importance as a significant consumer group

Descriptions of Morality

• Illegal activities include Sunday shopping, abortions, adultery, alcohol in restaurants, divorce, truancy, homosexuality, vagrancy

Focus of the Canada Council

• In 1957 the government used tax money to support Canadian artists, musicians, writers, actors, and performers

Focus of the CRTC

• The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) was created in 1968 to regulate broadcasting

The Focus of the Cancon

• Government requires that 30% of broadcasts are Canadian to protect its culture from America

Benefits for Workers

• Wages went up, medical and sick benefits became more accessible, pension benefits were more common, and there was a 40-hour work week with overtime

Those Who Did Not Benefit

• Women, minorities and other groups

Newfoundland Joining Canada

• Canada joined Newfoundland because Its economy was weak after the Depression, and Britain was struggling, so it voted to join Canada in 1949.

Expression of Canadian Identity

• Canada still saw itself as a British nation with British culture in 1953

Rachel Carson

• This biologist who published a remarkable scientific study in 1962 had an impact of being a watershed book and wrote ‘Silent Spring’

Rachel Caron's Silent Spring

• By using pesticides on crops, unintended targets were killed and food-chain impacted

The Environment Movement

• Young people started to challenge their parents' generation

Pollution of the Environment

• Chemicals used in farming pollute and harm humans and animals

GreenPeace's Impact

• There was a Vancouver protest that stopped environmental harm

Penicillin Discovery

• Penicillin discovery occurred in 1928. It was used as sexually transmitted infections less risky and did not threat HPV

1948 Kinsey Report

• People's sexual behaviors were more common

Women's Expectations in the Fifties

• Women were expected to quit their jobs and stay home as housewives and mothers, while men worked

Masters & Johnson - 1957

• Sex was much more naughty and common than assumed.

The Pill: 1962

• Body thinks you're already pregnant

The Feminine Mystique (1963)

• The book that spoiled that housework could be boring
• Challenged "male chauvinism” that criticized the belief that men are superior
• Showed that women were physically, intellectually and emotionally inferior shown as untrue
• The Beatles became the voice of this generation

Youth Revolution

• Baby Boomers were bored, affluent and rebellious

Post War Social Programs: Cradle to Grave

• Gov't supports citizens throughout life
• Ex) Baby Bonus
• Gov't supports families
• Ex) Unemployment Insurance

Government Financial Help. Example

• Hospital bills/doctor=lead of bankruptcy
• Before, they couldn't pay
  • Some went broke
• Gov't had to help

Medicare

• First time Canada Gov't paying Medical-Citizens
• 1966: Gov't copied idea and made it nationwide
  • Free Healthcare

Expo ‘67 (1967)

• 100th year of Confederation
• Montreal-Had first-ever subways
• Built “artificial islands” w/soil waste
• Most successful World’s fair
  • Height: Patriotism/Optimism-Proud
  • World: loved Canada and supports
  • Happiest for Canada

Trudeaumania

• 1968: Gov’t got Superstar Prime Minister
  • Treated like Celebrity for Canada
  • Politically Dominated for ~25 years

Women's Liberation

-1970’s- Became stronger/active -Radical than Women - Demanded improvements not small ones -Public Rally e.g. burning bras - Men better, smarter and women should be attacked - Attack traditional: needs to look like instead serious - Criticized should be quiet and housewives - Demanded: pay, job and opportunity

• Identity: Groups-changing-mainly white
• Identity through work

Male Identity

• Show love through providing-Show providing show care financially
  • Traditional stubborn, tenacious controlling/protecting

Sexual Revolution

- Gov’t did not to change privilege

Air India Flight

• 1985-Plane- Toronto,New Dehli -Bombed -Deadliest in Canada -Problem-Indians and Indian Government
• Men angry=blamed feminism

Toxic Masculinity

- Can't control anger
- Against LGBTQ

• 1967-Illegal-Sin -Sin- Against

Trudeau’s Ideas

• “Not place in bedrooms”
• Marriage legalized 2005 Bigoty considered

Silent Spring Movement

• 1962 -Environmental created by Rachel